lexrobertson.ca

Yes – finally I can make an argument for doing telecommuting for flight days as opposed to having to take a hit because they are so unproductive.

In flight wireless plus secondary laptop battery means I can read my e-mail, post here, do research to see why my code isn’t working.

I’m sure I will eventually sleep, but right now it seems like there’s too much to do.

The funding for the conference in Vancouver which I wanted to attend didn’t come through so that’s life I guess.

I love this new constant connectivity trend but I don’t think that surprises anyone.

So work this week is crazy busy, but the two new people are very nice and they seem to be settling in okay.

Tomorrow I get to meet and evaluate our new summer students so that should be interesting.

I really don’t know what else to write about – Life right now is comprised of work and more work.

I had a BBQ last friday to celebrate March, my mandarin still needs work.

My funding for the conference in Vancouver is still up in the air so I’ll keep y’all posted when I know more.

So this week has been interesting, to put it mildly.

I fixed two serious bugs in an existing piece of software this week. And wrote a small, but incredibly useful new piece which required reacquainting myself with one relatively complicated algorithm and creating another very simplistic one.

Unfortunately that was all additional stuff with took up time needed for other things, so even though it validates that my tech skills aren’t slipping in any way, shape or form since I got here, (I’ve been spending more time writing reports and documenation than code) it would have been nice to recieve that validation this coming week. Instead I spend a chunk of today and work and will probably spend part of tomorrow.

However, having said all that – It was a nice feeling to fix code and to create some new working stuff. It made me remember why it was I wanted to focus on programming, application development, and security rather than sticking to Server deployment and maintenance. This month, or should I say the remainder of it?, is going to be packed full. Every waking minute, and some minutes where I should be asleep, will be tied to getting everything tied up. It seems like there is just too much to do between now and April 1. So glad I have the Tim Horton’s powdered Cappucino mix – I know it’s not *coffee* according to the coffee snob definition – but it works for me. And staying awake long enough to get everything finished is all that matters, right?

It looks like Tuesday will be an important day at work so I will hopefully post around then.

Somehow this seems less thrilling than the last time I posted about being here.

I have arrived safe. Nothing much appears to have changed in my absence.

I’m not sure what I was hoping for, but whatever it was, it didn’t happen.

I have no idea why it seems to be that airports are where I find myself with the most (and I use that term loosely) time to reflect and write entries in this blog.

My whirlwind trip is over. By the time I get off my next flight I will have spent almost as many hours in the air going to and from as I did in the country. Okay that may not be true, but the ratio is pretty close to 2 landhours for 1 air hour.

Admittedly I like flying and there is something calming about being able to look out at the clouds and have them almost appear as if you could step out onto them like snow and use the valleys as little paths. The Rockies look particularily lovely and like little rocky islands amongst the snow.

For those people I didn’t get to see – I’m sorry and I am thinking about you. Those of you I did get to see, Thank You. Being reminded of your friendship means a lot to me. It is amazing how stress seems so much less when you know there are people cheering for you – even if they are a great distance away. It is thanks to you that I go back with a renewed sense of purpose and vision. Particular thanks goes out to the giver’s of my new mountie bear and the Tim Horton’s cans.

Hopefully, I’ll begin posting regularily soon, but to be honest it seems like life will remain busy for a good deal longer. I can’t wait until wireless is a standard feature on airplanes.